What Are They Eating In Japan?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 1st, 2010
Or more importantly, what are they not eating?
TOKYO — The world’s oldest person, a Japanese woman on the southern island of
Okinawa, has died a week before her 115th birthday, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Kama Chinen, who witnessed three centuries, died Sunday, according to Kaoru Shijima, a spokeswoman at her care facility.
Petite and gray-haired, Chinen spent her final years at a care center in Nanjo on southeastern Okinawa. She was born on May 10, 1895, according to the Gerontology Research Group , which tracks individuals of extremely old age.
Her family guarded her privacy closely, and details regarding her death were not released to the press – many Japanese newspapers didn’t even give her name.
Chinen became the world’s oldest known person when Gertrude Baines died in a Los Angeles hospital at age 115 in September.
The oldest human is now 114-year-old Eugenie Blanchard, a French woman born on Feb. 16, 1896, according to the research group. The group has validated 75 “supercentenarians” worldwide who are at least 110 years old, according to its website.
Japan has a high percentage of the world’s centenarians, many of whom are from the southern Okinawa region.
There were more than 40,000 Japanese over 100 years old when the government released its annual report in September. Over 86 percent of them were women.
By 2050, Japan’s centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million, according to U.N. projections.
**********
Readers: Especially my readers from Japan….really….you have the world’s highest percentage of centenarians – what are you doing over there? What is your secret? Blog me.
ZL: Wow, I’d like to see that outfit. Perhaps you could e me a photo and I could post it for all of your admirers here to see? Oh, and I look forward to borrowing that book -thanks!
Lydia: Hi, nice to hear from you. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to post here, but I’m delighted that you keep trying. :) And thanks for the compliments. There are days when I feel really good about my writing, and days that I just don’t have the time to invest in my write as much time as I would like to. And editing myself...ugh…I am grateful if I get to. And it really bugs me when I don’t. And when it is one of those days, this is where my frustration is felt with my blog.
But you…you are a professional writer, you write for a newspaper. How wonderful! – you must be good or they wouldn’t have hired you. I would love to get paid for my writing. You are blessed to be able to make a living doing what you love.
As far as what I write warranting a mouth wash? Well…you haven’t been reading here as long as your mother. For the sake of my new business as a ‘Specialist in Styles’, it behooves me to watch what I say. So yes, all of you can say what you wish – you are basically anonymous. But me? It is my blog and my name and photos are everywhere. I can not be anonymous.
When I started my new biz, I knew that I would not be able to speak as freely as I think. So yes, I do edit myself now, and that is frustrating for me too as it is important for me to be creative in all areas of my life, no holds barred. But my professional ’image’ is important to me too, and I certainly do not want to offend or turn off my growing clientele. It would not serve me well to say some of the things that I am thinking. So I try to say what I want to, I try to express myself clearly…..without the colorful language. :)
Suz: I love The Temptations and actually saw them perform a time or two in the last 5 or so years. Whether ‘Ollie’ was performing then I can not say, but I send my condolences too.
Chuck: Thanks for even more info on Vit D. I had the pleasure this past weekend to soak in some rays on my entire body and I can’t tell you how good it felt, emotionally and physically :) This was the first time of the season that I donned my bikini. Twenty minutes without sunscreen and then another 40 with. I used to be a sun goddess but the risk is too high these days. Still, it felt good and now I have a bit of color which always makes me feel good.
Peter: That is good news – I am sure you are partly responsible for this -you have been working so hard to protect your island. Good job!
Maria: You got that right. Otws need to stick together in order to make things happen for them. I hope that they, like you, are aware of this and do what is needed.
Hi Robert: Thanks for the news. I had no idea that this passed. So now, one needs to vocally tell officers that you are invoking that right before it goes into effect. This kind of thing drives me crazy.
Readers: Here’s an article of what Robert is speaking of. Click here.
Got to go…Peace out…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)
June 1st, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Bedroom Makeover for More Restful Sleep
Lawrence J. Epstein, MD
Harvard Medical School
If a busy schedule prevents you from getting the full seven-and-a-half to eight hours of sleep per night that the vast majority of adults require, it’s no wonder that you often feel drowsy during the day.
But what if you spend plenty of time in bed yet still never feel fully rested? Something in your sleep environment may be keeping you up or creating disturbances that, even without waking you fully, interfere with the normal progression of sleep stages that you need to feel truly rested.
Concern: Chronic sleep deprivation negatively affects virtually every aspect of life — energy, alertness, work performance, mood, sex drive.
New finding: Sleep deprivation also contributes to weight problems. Studies show that losing sleep for just a few nights raises levels of hormones linked with overeating and weight gain and makes a person more likely to reach for fattening comfort foods instead of nutritious fare.
Even worse: Sleep deprivation increases the risk for diabetes and heart disease as well as car crashes and other accidents.
What to do: Speak to your doctor — sleep problems sometimes signal a potentially serious condition, such as sleep apnea (repeated cessations in breathing during sleep) or depression.
If you still have trouble sleeping well even after underlying medical problems are ruled out or treated, chances are that your bedroom is not offering an optimal sleep environment.
Recommended: Follow the eight simple guidelines below to create a space conducive to restful, restorative slumber…
1. Clear out clutter. Ideally, a bedroom should be simply furnished and decorated so that there isn’t a lot to distract you from the primary purpose of sleep.
Keeping the bedroom neat and well organized helps minimize anxiety.
Reason: A messy room often is an oppressive reminder of other things that need to be done, making it harder to fall asleep.
2. Don’t work — or play — in the bedroom. Keep your computer, checkbook, to-do list, briefcase and other paraphernalia related to your chores, job or responsibilities in your home office, where they are less likely to intrude on your thoughts during the night.
If you must have a phone in the bedroom, use that extension only for emergencies, not for potentially exciting or disturbing conversations.
Recreational activities (other than sex, of course) also should be done elsewhere — so remove the TV, DVD player, stereo and anything else that shifts the bedroom’s focus to entertainment.
If you play music in your room every night before bed, for instance, and then wake up in the middle of the night, you may be unable to fall back to sleep unless you turn on the music again.
3. Banish dust bunnies. Dust mites are microscopic creatures that provoke nasal congestion and/or asthma attacks in allergy-prone people.
Because airways naturally constrict at night, allergy flare-ups are likely to interfere with sleep.
Best: Regularly wash bedding in hot water, vacuum under furniture, and dust all surfaces.
4. Block the light. Light sends a strong message to the brain to wake up. Of all the external cues that keep the body clock operating on a 24-hour cycle, light striking the eyes — even when they are closed — is the most influential.
Though you may not become fully conscious, light can move you out of deep-stage sleep and into lighter, less restful stages.
Solution: Hang shades, blinds or curtains made from “blackout” material over windows. Remove or cover any electronics that light up, including your alarm clock. If you cannot block ambient light, wear a sleep mask.
For safety’s sake: It is fine to use a low-level night-light — for instance, to see your way to the bathroom.
5. Hide the clock. When you have insomnia, repeatedly checking the clock only makes the problem worse by providing an unwelcome reminder of just how much rest you are missing.
Turn the face of the clock away so it won’t taunt you as you toss and turn.
6. Muffle or mask sounds. Noise is extremely disruptive.
Recent findings: People whose partners suffer from sleep apnea (which causes loud snoring and gasping) lose about the same amount of sleep each night as the apnea sufferers themselves do.
Also, people who live near airports often experience blood pressure elevations and disturbances in the heart’s normal resting rhythm when planes fly by.
Self-defense: Use heavy draperies, double-paned windows and rugs to muffle outside sounds.
Earplugs are very effective — try an inexpensive foam or silicone drugstore product. If you find earplugs uncomfortable, turn on a fan or white-noise machine (sold at household-goods stores) to create a low, steady background sound that masks more disruptive noises.
7. Make the bed comfortable. The older the mattress, the less support it generally provides (and the more dust mites it may harbor), so if you have had yours for more than 10 years, consider getting a new one.
Take your time testing mattresses to see which brand and level of firmness feel best to you, and lie on your favorite one for as long as you need to before you buy to make sure it is comfortable.
Helpful: Replace pillows when they no longer feel comfortable. Avoid products filled with natural down if you are prone to allergies.
Keep extra blankets at the foot of the bed — body temperature drops a few degrees during sleep, so you may wake up chilled during the night.
8. Keep a pen and paper on your bedside table. If you are fretting over impending tasks or feeling excited about a new idea as you’re trying to fall asleep, jot down some notes about the situation.
This way you won’t worry about not remembering your thoughts in the morning — clearing your mind for a good night’s sleep.
Bottom Line/Women’s Health interviewed Lawrence J. Epstein, MD, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both in Boston. He also is medical director of the Sleep HealthCenters in Brighton, Massachusetts, past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and author of A Good Night’s Sleep (Harvard Medical School Guides). http://www.sleephealth.com.
June 1st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Michelle
Thanks for the additional to Robert’s comment. I guess like everything else the republicans say that is hypocritical if not a outright lie so is their statement that they don’t want judges who legislate from the bench.
That is unless it is for some benefit that they want passed by the bench. It is interesting that the judge they opposed is the desenting opinion which expresses the inanity of the decision by the bush bought and paid for five.
Caroline
June 1st, 2010 at 1:02 pm
It looks like the USA is fast becoming a prison state for OTWS.
The Supreme Court gang of five is determined to give white america all the room they will need to accomplish the job.
Helga
June 1st, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Hi Mischa,
I’m guessing the japanese diet doesn’t have all the white carbs and fried foods we as a people ingest, also a few things I eat that are Japanese inspired are, of course, seafood, lots of white fish, seaweed (outer wrapping of sushi) sheets, they’re super salty and I love them, it’s sea salt with all the minerals from the ocean…I eat seaweed salad which as the name implies is loaded with sea vegatables, miso, tofu….etc…yes, that all keeps you healthy : ) add in some garlic, onions and tumeric and I think you’ll live a long life, need some recipes??
Misch, you do not have to ask me twice, the pic is sent via iPhone email and text, that was fun bc the items were top off laundry basket and they stink from hiking : ) but now I totally get it…you will too… : ) you leg men out there are going to relate as well ; ) that comment came from a fireman, all buff in his uniform, hahaha, he also told me I had good looking feet, oh yeah, ding-ding-ding ladies and gentlemen I do believe we had ourselves a foot lovin’ toe sucker also.
Gloria, all the comments above re: rethugs is exactly why I haven’t marched my intelligent ass into a local office. I think I’ll just take what you said as a compliment and leave the part about being repulican out of the equation : ) I hope none of what I say offends you terribly, I mean no disrespect to you personally. I try not to speak words here that I would not say in person and I may have come on too strong yesterday.
Ok, wrapping up that selling season so busy few weeks now, catch you all later, Luv, Zen Lill
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Hi Bill
I am not sure if you got a chance to visit http://www.catchmoretunatoday.com the other day… in case you missed it I have released all of my tuna fishing knowledge onto a blog for the whole world to read for free!
Well it has upset some of my competitors and they want me to close the website down! I am going to fight to keep the site up as long as possible – but it could go down at anytime in the next few days.
Have a look at what some of the most recent comments on the site say:
I usually don’t post in Blogs but your blog forced me to, amazing work.. beautiful
Informative blog with good useful information.
thanks for the tip mike,,,,u been very helpful……i haven`t caught any as yet but am still trying………..thanks again man
hey – this is fantastic information about catching tuna! i can’t believe that a professional angler is willing the share
With comments like these you can see why some people are getting upset!So hurry up and get in to view all of my tuna fishing tips before they are gone. Visit: http://www.CatchMoreTunaToday.com
Tight lines!
Mark
PS – Here are the subjects that are being covered:
Finding Tuna
Where Are the Tuna?
Bring the tuna to you
Other indicators to finding tuna
Tuna Lures
Choosing Your Lure
The Best Lures
Landing Tuna
Landing Yellow fin tuna
Landing Albacore long fin tuna
Landing Big eye tuna
Landing Southern Blue fin tuna
Landing Black fin tuna
Landing Northern blue fin tuna
Landing Long tail tuna
Landing Pacific bluefin tuna
Tuna Fishing Pro Tips
Look around you
Tune In to the Tuna
Lure Away
Tuna Fishing Holidays
Packaged Tours
Tuna Hot Spots
Tuna Fishing Future
Over Fishing
Amazing FREE Gift
About Tuna
A Clever Fish
Fascinating Tuna Facts
Size and Weight of Tuna
The Price of Tuna
Knots for tuna
Why Knots Fail
Knot tying tips
The Tuna Knot
The Palomar Knot
Tuna Hooks
Tuna hook tips
Types of hooks
Catch and Release
Matching Lines
The Bait for Your Hook
Deep Sea Tuna Fishing
MD & Sons International,
PO Box 3449, Mornington, VIC, 3931, Australia
To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?jAxMjCzs7LQsHMzMjJycTLRGtOwMDIzsTKw=
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I’ll take two thighs and a leg.
Make mine to eat in.
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Nice
I like all my women to have good legs that come with a smile.